MV St Faith

MV St Faith is a vehicle and passenger ferry operated by Wightlink on its route from Portsmouth to Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight. As with former sister ship St Cecilia, there were plans to increase St Faith's capacity by extending her length by 12 metres (39 ft).^{[2][needs update]} Entering service in 1990, the ferry's name is taken from St Faith's Church, Cowes.

St Faith outbound from Portsmouth Harbour 27 June 2013.
History
United Kingdom
Name	MV St Faith
Operator	Wightlink
Port of registry	London
Builder	Cochrane Shipbuilders Ltd, Selby
Launched	28 February 1990
In service	1990
Identification	IMO number: 8907228 MMSI number: 235031618 Callsign: MMDA5
Status	In service
General characteristics
Class & type	Car Passenger Ferry
Tonnage	3,009 GT[1]
Length	77.05 metres (252.8 ft)
Beam	17.2 metres (56 ft)
Draught	2.48 metres (8 ft 2 in)
Installed power	3x 850bhp 6-cyl MAN 6ASL25 diesel engines
Propulsion	3x Voith Schneider cycloidal propellers
Speed	12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph)
Capacity	722 passengers 142 cars 12 lorries
Crew	10-12

Incidents

2010 dock collision

On arrival in Portsmouth on 28 May 2010, St Faith collided heavily with the dock, injuring two passengers and causing minor damage. The vessel was temporarily withdrawn from service.^[3][4]

2015 breakdown

On 28 February 2015 the St Faith suffered an engine failure in the middle of the Solent around 20 minutes into the 8 am crossing to the Isle of Wight. The captain decided to return to Portsmouth, and tug SD Bountiful towed the ferry back to the Gunwharf Quays terminal. The crew switched to St Helen to continue the service. After repairs, St Faith returned to service on 13 March 2015.^{[citation needed]}

2017 fire

On 19 January 2017 a fire broke out in a cigarette bin on the port side bridge wing of the ferry whilst mid-Solent. The fire was extinguished by crew and no casualties were reported.^[5] Two fire appliances from Ryde Fire Station were sent to the scene at Wightlink's Fishbourne ferry terminal along with the Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service's Incident Support Unit from East Cowes. Bembridge Coastguard Rescue Team, the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service and local police also attended the incident.^[6]